Samantha Crane, a Laguna Beach High School 2009 graduate, continues on the path she began with encouragement and inspiration while enrolled in photo classes with former high school art teacher Peter Tiner.

Crane, who continued as a studio arts major, concentrating in photography at Lewis & Clark College in Portland, Ore., recently shared her capstone series of photographic images along with 26 other graduating seniors in the campus gallery.

Work by two top graduates from each of Oregon’s 15 colleges and universities, including Crane’s, was selected to participate in the 18th Annual Recent Graduates Exhibition in Portland’s Blackfish Gallery.

Her piece is a set of five black and white silver gelatin prints accompanied by a book featuring more of her images. Her artist statement reads, in part, “a common misconception of memory is that it is a perfect recording, that we simply can play back in our minds exactly what happened. Similarly, there is a conception that traditional photography is a form of truth or evidence, that it cannot be falsified, yet by being selective about what goes in front of the lens, the photographer controls what is documented, just as a person controls how an event is recorded into their memory.”

Crane received scholarships both from the Festival of Arts and the Sawdust Festival based on photographs she produced in high school to pursue art in college. She expressed appreciation for local support that allowed her to progress artistically.

Crane’s work will be displayed at Blackfish through July 31. She can be contacted at [email protected].